Book Review: Save Me (Broken Idols #2) by M.C. Frank

This is full of intense YA emotional romance.

Save Me (Broken Idols #2)
by M.C. Frank

ASIN : B087YG3KCX
Publication date : April 20, 2021
File size : 2133 KB, 173 pages
Genre: Billionaire, New Adult & College Romance
My Rating: 3.75 of 5.0.

"You saved my life."
"I did. Now I'm the one who's drowning."
I was playing Mr Darcy in a modern Pride and Prejudice film adaptation, shot on a Greek island. I was Hollywood's golden boy, Wes Spencer. A billionaire. One of the youngest Academy Award nominees. A prodigy.
She was just a stunt girl from Greece, surfing and diving into the azure waters of the Corfu beaches between my takes.
There was no reason for us to meet. The stunt girl and the actor. Our worlds should have never collided, but they did.
We went from a near-death experience to indifference, from indifference to hate and from hate to... to something I never would have imagined.
She changed my life and then she disappeared. I guess nearly dying in my arms scared her too much, and she couldn't come back from that. I was scared too. I still have nightmares about losing her, but this... this is worse than all my nightmares put together.
Losing her is breaking me. Without her I am constantly suffocating.
But how can I get her back, when she won't even talk to me? When she won't even tell me what I did?

Review:
This is a love story told from the perspective of a spoiled, famous and ridiculously wealthy actor. Wes is only 22 and known as “Hollywood’s golden boy”. Wes suddenly falls for a stunt girl who initially spurns him. He saves her from drowning and then his life begins to change. He begins to change for her and eventually realizes (maybe) that he has to change for himself. The story starts at his present sense of loss and then backtracks to tell the story of his dramatic romance with Ari.

Wes and several close friends hide emotional pain which he expresses with angst. I like the author’s ability to write intense emotional drama that is fitting to YA although perhaps it is a bit much for an elder reader like me. I appreciate the transition and growth that Wes experiences. There are a couple of mixed tenses that were momentarily distracting. My primary disappointment is, just as I was wrapped in the story and wanted to see what happened between them, this book ends -- to be continued in the next book. I do recommend this for fans of YA emotional love. Just be prepared to need the next book, Lose Me.

Source: Received from Author. This qualifies for 2021 Author goal.

Book Review: Frosted (Regency Retold #2) by M.C. Frank

This is an engaging, rich romance.

Frosted (Regency Retold #2)
by M.C. Frank

ASIN : B08L5PMRMY
Publication date : February 20, 2021
File size : 1508 KB
Print length : 362 pages
Genre: Fairy Tale, Romance
My Rating: 4.5 of 5.0.

Can two people hate each other more than these two?
She has a heart of stone. He is the notorious pirate every lady swoons for.
They have vowed never to meet again.
Captain Timothée Vaughn
Heart: Broken
Face: Gorgeous
Tone: Acidic
Pirate: Yes, he is
Marital Status: Forced into an engagement
Willing to: Break his own arm to escape his wedding tomorrow.

Lady Stella DeWinter:
Heart: Frosted
Face: Angelic but sad
Tone: Silent
Secrets: Many, but one in particular. A very dark one indeed.
Marital Status: Jilted Captain Vaughn right before their wedding, five years ago.
Willing to: Do anything to meet Timothée one last time.

Question: Why? (on earth)
Meeting place: The Frosted Ball.
What follows: Chaos. Noisy ballrooms. Starry skies. White flurries. Hungry kisses. Haughty stares. Frozen lakes. Shaking breaths. The truth. Finally.

Frosted is a heart-wrenching romance about a pirate and an ice-cold lady who seem to have hated each other for years, inspired by winter-themed fairytales like The Snow Queen and The Steadfast Tin Soldier. It is set in a witty, glittering Regency world made up of a little bit of Jane Austen, a little bit of Georgette Heyer, and a lot of a modern heart yearning for romance, passion and a tall gentleman with a smoldering gaze. This is a broken tale of beauty, dark secrets and love lost.
Frosted is the new enemies-to-lovers Regency novel that will melt your heart.

Review:
Timothée Vaughn had a difficult childhood growing up and losing his parents during the French revolution. He is sent to live with his English uncle who sends him off to boarding school. Like many young men at Eton, the moody man is more interested in play, drink and women, then in his studies. Then he travels to the countryside to spend Christmas with a classmate. There he meets a young woman, Stella, who changes his life.

Stella is a young woman who was taking care of her ailing father and enjoying her days of youthful independence. Unlike other young ladies her age, she isn’t focused on finding the right man for marriage. While out riding, Stella and a handful of friends meet a group of young men. One young man, Vaughn, is the most handsome man she has ever met but that doesn’t turn her head.

When Stella is thrown from her horse, Vaughn carries her home and waits to make sure she is alive. As the days pass, he falls head over heels and Stella warms to his attentions. After more time together during the summer, the pair are deep in a whirlwind romance. Vaughn returns to school and tries to focus seriously on his studies as he counts the days till they are to be married. Then he gets a letter from Stella terminating their engagement with little understandable explanation. She hides and refuses to see him. After repeated attempts, a devastated Vaughn heads off to the sea, maybe to drown. He learns that Stella marries a wealthy neighbor who dies on their honeymoon, leaving her the ‘icy’ widow, Lady DeWinter.

Five years later, Captain Vaughn, aka L’Ange Noir, injured during his privateering adventures, has become a wealthy, sought after bachelor. He has been trapped into an engagement and wants his friend to break his arm so he can avoid the wedding day. He is shocked when he discovers Stella in the shadows eavesdropping on his conversation. She begs him to help her with a task, but he refuses. Yet, now his overwhelming feelings – love despair, anger, hate – have been awakened. He is only more confused when Stella interrupts and stops his wedding. Why has she taken that action when she still refuses to see him?

Stella has a secret that she holds tight. She never meant to cause such pain to Vaughn (or herself), but she thinks it is necessary. She has worked hard to control her emotions and show a certain face to the world. Vaughn thought he had buried his emotions too, but his sensitive nature keeps surfacing when it comes to Stella.

This is a very emotionally rich romance (with a stunning cover too). The author takes some interesting liberties on grammar rules, but I felt they fit the story. I did get a bit frustrated by Stella's stubbornness, but I loved the quiet touches of faith that help these characters move forward. In addition to the lush emotions, the author shares some poignant observations regarding the growth struggles of the characters. She makes a particular statement about swimming and faith that is awesome: ‘Going past where your feet can touch… Swimming takes faith.” And what requires the greatest faith??? Read this luscious story to see what the characters discover.

Source: PDF Arc Received from author. This qualifies for 2019Author reading goal.

Book Review: Hood: an Outlaws novella by M.C. Frank

This retelling of the beginning of the legend of Robin Hood moves quickly and is engaging.

Hood: an Outlaws novella
by M.C. Frank

File Size: 1781 KB
Print Length: 71 pages
Publication Date: January 7, 2020
Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
Language: English
ASIN: B07ZZJ4JC5
Genre: Fairy Tale Retelling, Historical Fantasy, Medieval
My Rating: 4.25 of 5.0.

Meet Robin Hood's band of outlaws. Their story starts with Christmas, a lost love, a hungry town and a robbery.
In this Outlaws novella, Robin Loxley is a tortured young man mourning the loss of his title, his lands and his first love. Tonight, with the help of his close friends, he will get a new name that will live in history, a cat that could care less that Robin happens to be the most brilliant archer in medieval England, and a chance to prove himself by rescuing a lady from a fire.
But this is no ordinary lady...
And that is no ordinary fire...
HOOD is a prequel novella to the beloved bestselling Outlaws series by M.C. Frank.

Review:
Robin is now an outlaw with a small group of followers: John, the big warrior, Tuck, the excommunicated monk, Will, the brother of his heart, and Alis, the lady who learned to fight to survive. The group has rallied around Robin even though he is still trying to figure out how to lead and what to do. His friends have aliases to protect their true identities when in the villages. Now they are toying with giving Robin his own alias.

Each of the characters apparently has a sad history that has landed them together. This novella focuses on Robin’s history through flash-backs to some of the heart-breaking traumas in his past. This occurs while the group faces a bleak Christmas Eve. They are aware that the Sheriff’s men have raided the surrounding villages taking a toll in not only taxes but holiday feasts. Are Robin and his friends willing to risk their lives to retake the bounty and return it to the people?

I enjoy retellings and found this to be a quick, engaging read. I enjoyed the extra development of the characters as well as the action scenes. While staying consistent with the legend that we know, the author provides intrigue and humor in arriving at the famous name. I recommend this to readers who enjoy retellings.

Source: Author pdf March 2020. This qualifies for 2020 Author goal.